Serbia endorses disputed development plan connected to former President Trump
The Serbian legislative body has enacted a law that paves the way for a contentious real estate venture overseen by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Serbia's capital city.
His firm Affinity Partners has planned to develop a premium hospitality venue and apartment development on the location of the former Yugoslav Army headquarters.
The damaged edifice, which was bombed by NATO forces in 1999 during its operation to end the Serbian military actions in Kosovo, holds emotional value to many who view it as a reminder and emblem of continuing opposition to the military alliance.
Serbia's Head of State Aleksandar Vucic, who has sought close connections with Trump, has supported the development notwithstanding public opposition and legal disputes.
In the past year, the Serbian authorities revoked the property of its heritage designation and agreed a extended lease with the developer's firm, which had presented blueprints for a $500m project.
The decision provoked demonstrations and initiated an probe into whether a national authority had forged documentation utilized throughout the method to change the structure's designation.
In a conversation recently, Head of State Aleksandar Vucic supported the initiative, stating "it's crucial to move past the legacy from 1999".
He added: "We are ready to build stronger ties with the US β I believe that is terribly important for this state."
The stalled development timeline reached a climax last week when Vucic's party β which maintains a controlling in parliament β pushed ahead with a special decision on preparing the area and succeeded.
Opposition politicians have called the decision against the constitution, among them Aleksandar Jovanovic, who termed it as a "violation", and stated the significant building would be exchanged with "gambling venues and Jacuzzis".
At the same time, centre-left representative Marinika Tepic stated the government was compromising the nation's history "to please the former president".
The passage of the legislation has furthermore been criticised by design specialists, and arrives following a watchdog organization, an anti-corruption institution, voiced concerns about publicly-endorsed developments.
According to national news accounts prior to his maiden presidency bid, the former president in the past explored building a hospitality property in Belgrade.
Last March, Kushner told reporters he was unfamiliar of his relative's alleged previous involvement.
The determination to enable progress for the development arrives as Vucic's administration aims to maintain good connections with the two Washington and the Russian Federation.
The country has been impacted by the two Trump's tariffs and restrictions on Russian interests in the state, encompassing on its sole petroleum facility, the mainly Russian Federation-held Nafna Industrika Srbije (NIS).